Statesmen Receiving Votes in First Poll
William Penn Women’s Athletics
Oskaloosa–The William Penn softball team may not have an eye-popping record, but the national raters have taken notice of its impressive schedule as the NAIA released its first regular season coaches’ poll Tuesday.
The Statesmen (9-6, 2-0 MCC), who were unranked in the preseason poll, are now tied for 36th with four votes. WPU opened the Midwest Collegiate Conference season with a doubleheader sweep over Mount Mercy last Saturday. William Penn is the league’s only representative in the ranking.
Defending national champion Concordia (Calif.) remains #1 from the preseason rating with 554 points and 13 first-place votes. Oklahoma City is a close second with seven first-place votes, while Spring Hill (Ala.), Saint Xavier (Ill.), and LSU Alexandria (La.) round out the top five.
Seven teams that WPU has or will face this year are included in this week’s rating, highlighted by #3 Spring Hill and #4 Saint Xavier.
The complete ranking can be found at http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=209438289
William Penn has a busy weekend upcoming, beginning with two games Friday on Day One of the William Penn Classic. It faces Michigan-Dearborn at 3 p.m. and Madonna (Mich.) at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the Statesmen host Clarke in an MCC doubleheader at 1 p.m. The team returns to play within the Classic on Sunday, taking on Davenport (Mich.) at 9 a.m. and Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) at 11 a.m.
